On Day 2 on Anime Milwaukee, I attended the panel, “Meet the Artists behind TRIGUN STAMPEDE, BEASTARS, and more: Studio Orange”. This panel was one of the highly anticipated panels and I was very excited to attend it because I love their works, especially Beastars and Trigun Stampede! The panelists included Yoshihiro Watanabe who’s the producer, Hirotsugu Hayakawa who’s the VFX Director, Shusuke Aoki who’s the Animation Sub-Director, and Tadashi Nakajima who’s the Art Director. Below is a brief video showcasing their work:

The panel started off with them introducing themselves. It was surprising to hear that it was  Hayakawa, Aoki, and Nakajima’s first time at a convention! The first question asked was what inspired them to join the anime industry. For most of them, it was an anime they enjoyed, but for Aoki it was because his mechanical engineering career didn’t take off so he decided to get into the anime industry instead! I found that very funny. For Hayakawa it was a slice of life anime, for Nakajima, it was the backgrounds in the Studio Ghibli films, and for Watanabe, it was the original Trigun anime.

The panel then delved into how the company started 20 years ago, the structure of the company and the four pillars which include Producing, Animation, VFX, and Art. They talked about how VFX is meant to enhance the emotions and animation that is already there, and how the VFX department started when they were making Land of the Lustrous (another anime that’s on my list!). Some challenges they shared was how difficult it can be to keep up with the technological advancements and quality in 3D animation. 

A highlight of the panel was when Watanabe asked was “What sparks you?”. For Hayakawa, is taking in everyday experiences such as the smoke he saw in Milwaukee that he doesn’t see in Japan. For Aoki, is seeing works from other animation studios. For Nakajima, is taking in things that he sees such as experiencing the weather change from rain to snow the other day when he was walking outside. He wished that he came to Milwaukee first before starting working on Leviathan, one of their new projects. It is interesting to hear how animators see the world and what inspires them to keep creating!

Another highlight was when Watanabe asked is what do each of panelists like to do to relax. For Nakajima, it is to go to saunas. For Aoki, is trying to sleep when he can sleep and riding his motorcycle in open areas. For Hayakawa, it is to walk in the forest and escape there and not see people. This made me laugh! Nakajima also mentioned wanting to see the Mitchell Park Domes in Milwaukee because in Trigun Stampede there is a geo dome, and Hayakawa would like to visit the the famous Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee! It’s nice to hear that they all have interests in exploring Milwaukee.

An audience member asked the panelist if it is possible for Studio Orange to accept international animators such as American animators. They panelists responded that although they do not have many international employees, they see it as a possibility since remote work is becoming more common. They currently have an employee living in Korea and 20% of their workers are not originally from Japan but they all speak Japanese which would be required for all employees.

The panel ended with announcing that Part 2 of the final season of Beastars is in production (I can’t wait!) and to stay tuned for their new anime Leviathan that will be premiering on Netflix later this year. Below is a trailer:

Overall I enjoyed the panel a lot and can’t wait to watch future works from Studio Orange!